Israel Unveils Boost to Public Diplomacy Funding

(MENAFN) The Israeli government has earmarked an enormous 2.35 billion shekels (nearly $729 million) for “public diplomacy” in its upcoming budget, marking a dramatic, nearly five-fold surge in resources dedicated to repairing the nation’s significantly tarnished global reputation.

During a conference in Jerusalem on Sunday, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar introduced a newly established Public Diplomacy Division within his ministry.

He described the initiative as a “significant strategic decision”, emphasizing that “when public opinion shifts toward an anti-Israeli stance” abroad, it can “promptly impact government actions.”

Sa’ar further explained, “The second decision is the approval of a budget of 2.35 billion shekels (of which one billion shekels is authorized) for the battle for public awareness and the promotion of Israel’s image worldwide. The concept that the battle for public awareness is part of national security was fundamental to this decision.”

In the previous year, Israel devoted roughly $150 million to public diplomacy—an amount nearly 20 times greater than the typical expenditure in earlier years.

The draft budget, finalized by the Israeli cabinet last Friday after lengthy and intense discussions, totals approximately 662 billion shekels and now proceeds to its initial plenary vote.

It must be enacted before the end of March 2026; failure to do so would trigger the automatic dissolution of the Knesset and force early national elections.

Israel’s standing on the world stage has suffered severely due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which followed the unexpected October 2023 assault on southern Israel carried out by the Palestinian militant organization Hamas, resulting in 1,200 fatalities.

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